Signal.



PATENTED JAN; 1, 1907 P. MARW DBL,

SIGNAL. APBLIOATION FILED FEB. 27. 1906.

V [NVEAi/TOR i F WQWraaYe Z 'BY Z,

WITNESSES:

a M fikyzy,

Allomey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL MARWEDEL, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

- SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

Application filed February 27, 1906. Serial N 308,190.

or at the front of a building or at any suit-- able point and operable from a distance for the purpose of calling a milkman, iceman,

laundryman, or the like, the construction of the signal or indicator being such that any one or more panels containing suitable words or emblems may be displayed and moved into and out of calling position at any desired distance therefrom.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination,

and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete apparatus. Fig. 2 is.a detail section of the rack-and-pinion carrier. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the rack-shifting device, showing the rack thrown out of operative relation to the pinions.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a series of panels disposed horizontally and provided with journals 2, mounted in suitable bearingsin an upright frame or stand comprising parallel uprights 3, connected by a top crossbar 4, the said stand being mounted at any suitable point. The panels 1 are horizontally disposed and are adapted to' swing on parallel horizontal axes, as shown in Fig. 1. The shaft or journal 2 of each panel is extended beyond one, of the side frame bars or uprights 3 and provided with a pinion 5. The pinions 5 of the several panels are arranged in vertical alinement with each other, adapting them to be operated upon by a single shiftable rack 6, which is so mounted that it may be shifted into or out of line with the pinions, so that it may be caused to operate the same or pass by the pinions without operating them.

Extending upward alongside of one of the uprights 3 is a guide-rail 7, upon which is mounted a runner 8, having a projecting arm or bracket 9, to which is secured a verticallyextending bar Pivotally mounted on said bar 10 are parallel-motion levers 11 and 12, the same being fulcrumed centrally on the bar 10 and connected at one end by a link 13, while the opposite ends of said levers are pivotally connected to the shiftable rack 6, which is disposed vertically, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. It will be seen that as the parallel-motion levers 11 and 12 are rocked on their pivotal connection with the bar 10 they maintain parallel relation to each other, i

but move the shiftable rack either into or out of line with the pinions 5, the rack being shown in line with the pinions in Fig. 1 and out'of line therewith in Fig. 3. The rack 6 is normally held in line with the pinions 5 by means of a spring 14, connected at one end to one of the levers 12 and at the opposite end to a hook or projection 15, extending laterally from the bar 10.

Raised at a suitable distance from the stand above described is another stand comprising parallel guides 16 and a vertical stationary rack 17, extending substantially parallel with the guides 16. Movable up and down on the guides 16 is a double runner comprising the connected sleeves or members 18, the same being united by a cross-bar 19. 2O designates a runner-cord, one end of which is connected to the cross-bar 19 and the other end connected to the lower extremity of the bar 10, above described, the said runner-cord passing around suitable guide or direction pulleys 21 and 22, arranged at suitable points. Connected to the upper end of the bar 10 is another cord 23, which passes over suitable guide-pulleys 241 and 25 at the top of the stand which carries the panels 1, said cord being provided with a weight 26. Thus as the runner 18 is moved up and down on the guides 16 the runner'S is likewise moved up and down on the guide-rail 7, carrying the pinion-actuating rack 6 therewith.

Connected to the lower parallel-motion lever 12 is a rack-shift cord 27, which passes around suitable guide-pulleys 28 and 29 and is connected at its opposite end to a rackshift lever 30, pivotally mounted at 31 on the runner 18. By rocking the lever the parallel-motion levers are swung on their pivotal connection with the bar 10 to carry the shiftable rack 6 out of line with the pinions 5, and when said lever 30 is released the spring 14 swings the shiftable rack back into line with the pinions.

v play the words or emblems thereon or re- 32 designates a latch-lever which is fulcrumed on the runner 18 and ivotally connected to a latch 33, mounted in a suitable uide 34 on the runner, the end of said latch being adapted to engage with any one ofa series of shoulders 35 on the vertical rack-bar 17, above described, for the purpose of holding the runner 8 and the rack-bars carried thereby at any point intermediate the pinions 5, as shown in Fig.1

From the foregoing description it will be understood that by grasping the rack-shift lever 30 and the latch-lever 32 the runner 18 may be moved up and down on the guides 16 without operating any of the pinions 5. When it is desired to turn a certain anel over, so as to display the word or em lem thereon, the rack-shift lever 30 is released at the proper time, which allows the spring 14 to restore the rack 6 to its operative position, whereupon in passing across the pinion 5 it will operate said pinion and turn the proper panel over. In order to designate which of the panels is being operated upon, suitable guards or indicators 36 are placed upon the rack 17 adjacent to the shoulders 35, containing the same words or emblems as the panels and corresponding in location therewith. In this way any one or more of the panels may be operated and swung into position to dis versed, so as to present the blank sides thereof to view.

The operating mechanism, consisting of the I&Cl -'Sl1lft lever and latch-lever and the parts connected therewith, may be located at any desired distance from the stand which carries the reversible panels 1, and, as previously noted, any one or more of said panels may be worked from the point where said operating mechanism is located. Stops 37 are provided on one of the uprights 3 to prevent the panels from turning too far, said stops serving to arrest the movement of the panels when they are disposed vertically, so as to display the words or emblems contained thereon.

I claim 1. The combination with a series of reversible panels each provided with a pinion, of a traveling rack for actuating said pinions one after the other, and means for shifting 1 said rack to throw the same into or out of line with the pinions.

2. The combination with a series of reversible panels, of a traveling rack, means at a distance therefrom for imparting movement to said traveling rack, and means also located at a distance for shifting the rack to throw the same into or out of line with operating devices carried by the reversible panels.

3. The combination with a series of reversible panels carrying pinions on the jour nals thereof, of a runner, parallel-motion levers mounted thereon, a traveling rack pivotally connected to said levers and adapted to be moved thereby into and out of line with the pinions, and means located at a distance from the panels for actuating said runner and vibrating the parallel-motion levers.

4. The combination with a series of reversible panels having pinions on their j ournals, of a runner, a shiftable rack mounted on said runner and movable into and out of line with said pinions, a second runner located at a distance from the panels, a latch on said second runner, a rack-bar with which said latch engages, a latch-lever on the second runner, a rack-shift lever on said second runner, and operating-cords extending from said rack-shift lever and latch-lever to the firstnamed runner, one of said cords being connected With the shiftable rack, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination with a series of revolving and reversible panels having actuatingpinions, of a runner operating adjacent to said panels, a shiftable rack carried by said runner and movable into and out of line with the pinions, a spring for holding the rack normally in line withthe pinions, a second runner located at a distance from the panels and operatively connected with the firstnamed runner, a latch carried by the second runner, a rack-bar with which said latch engages, and indicators on said rack-bar corresponding with the panels, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature witnesses.

F. R. BOWLES, W. L. BURNETTE.

in presence of two 

